TTF Hyderabad played host to another exciting session of Travel Startup Knockdown by TravHQ. Startup Knockdown was first hosted during OTM Mumbai, another travel trade exhibition hosted by Fairfest Media, the organiser of TTF exhibitions. The initiative was conceptualised to support the travel tech community in India and to give the innovators a platform to showcase potentially ground-breaking solutions for the travel industry. During the session, five innovative travel startups from different sectors of industry pitched in front of an expert panel of judges to win the title and many other opportunities that accompany the title.
India’s travel market has largely been driven by offline players like travel agents however with the increase in adoption of internet, the online travel market is growing fast. The online travel industry in India is predicted to grow over USD 10 billion in gross bookings (Source: Phocuswright) and around half of that will be driven by young travel startups. This offers huge opportunities for travel brands and room for young startups to enhance the experience of travellers by leveraging technology.
The Hyderabad edition of Startup Knockdown brought together experts from different domains to gauge the potential of participating startups and mentor them on how they can improve their products. The panel included leading industry professionals from organisations including Amadeus, Hyderabad Angels, Go North Ventures, Fairfest Media and T-Hub among others. Before the pitching competition, Sreekanth Perepu, ‎Investment Director at Hyderabad Angels Venturesand an active investor in travel also engaged in a chat about the investment scenario in India and shared tips for startups pitching to potential investors. Small businesses, with fresh concepts and agile business models, carry a promise of change for the better which is why these organisations came together on this knowledge sharing platform and extended their support.
The participating startups, apart from the opportunity to showcase their product in front of the travel community, also got the chance of having one on one discussions with the panel members to discuss the finer details of their businesses and receive crucial inputs. TravHQ and TTF be hosting more events to benefit the travel innovators. Interested startups can register at startupknockdown.travhq.com.
